Bloom Energy’s 800V DC power architecture is being adopted to cut AI data center operational costs.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE), a global leader in power solutions, today released a special report titled “The New Rules of AI Power,” demonstrating that its unique 800V DC-native fuel cell solution can reduce non-compute capital expenditures for a 1 GW AI data center by $3.6 billion, or 27%, and cut the five-year total cost of ownership by $5.5 billion, or 9%.

The conventional power system architecture was built over a century ago to address the challenge of moving electricity safely over long distances. Alternating current (AC) became dominant because remotely located centralized power plants could efficiently transport generated power at very high voltages across hundreds of miles, then step it down via copper-intensive transformers to medium and low voltage AC for industrial and residential use. The electro-mechanical industrial age of the last century was fundamentally built around this high-voltage AC grid infrastructure catering to medium- and low-voltage consumption.

The digital age operates differently. Much of the technology defining modern life—from smartphones and laptops to servers and data centers—runs on low-voltage direct current (DC) power. For years, because the AC electric grid was the only prevalent source of abundant, continuous power, the digital sector absorbed the inefficiency of converting AC to DC, as it required only modest amounts of supporting equipment. However, power-hungry AI chips are completely upending this practice. These GPU chips, packed with extreme density within server racks, demand enormous amounts of power concentrated in one location and require an 800V DC power input.

NVIDIA is already transitioning toward an 800V DC architecture for next-generation AI infrastructure. Beginning with the Rubin Ultra and Kyber rack architectures, NVIDIA has specified 800V DC for 2027 and all subsequent generations. Delivering the necessary power volume to these racks using legacy low-voltage DC architectures is now impractical.

Traditional grids, onsite turbines, and reciprocating engines all deliver AC power to data centers, which must then be converted to DC for compute workloads. Bloom Energy generates that DC power from the outset with zero conversions. Its solid oxide fuel cells produce continuous 800V DC power electrochemically and onsite, eliminating multiple layers of transport and conversion equipment between the power source and the server rack. This approach significantly reduces the electrical infrastructure required between generation and compute, lowering capital costs, minimizing energy losses, and decreasing reliance on constrained components like transformers and switchgear, where lead times already stretch into years. Critical materials required for these components, such as copper, are in short supply and growing increasingly expensive. According to Bloom Energy’s analysis, deploying its DC-native fuel cells at a 1 GW AI data center translates to a $3.6 billion reduction in non-compute CAPEX and a $5.5 billion decrease in total cost of ownership over five years.

“AI is not just increasing electricity demand. It is catalyzing a positive transformation of how power is generated and consumed by becoming the first scale adopter of both onsite and DC power,” said KR Sridhar, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Bloom Energy. “To move away from the AC paradigm that is over a century old requires the pain of not switching to be far greater than the benefit and comfort of accepting the status quo. AI, by presenting the challenge of consuming enormous amounts of DC power where compute happens, is enabling this transformation. Commercial, industrial, residential and electric vehicles will all be beneficiaries of this massive change. Bloom, by natively generating continuous, reliable and clean 800V DC at scale, is the industry leader in ushering in this new era for electric power.”

“We’re seeing the shift to 800V DC happen faster than many expected,” said Natalie Sunderland, Chief Marketing Officer at Bloom Energy. “Our 2026 Mid-Year Data Center Power Report found that data center leaders expect DC-based architectures to account for 58% of new deployments by 2030. Bloom’s ability to generate continuous 800V DC power natively puts us at the forefront of this transition, helping AI data centers reduce cost, complexity and power losses while accelerating deployment.”

The full report is available for download. Bloom’s economic analysis is based on its 800V DC Total Cost of Ownership model for a 1 GW compute data center using next-generation AI rack assumptions. Actual project economics will vary based on site design, energy prices, equipment costs, and other project-specific factors.

About Bloom Energy: Bloom Energy empowers enterprises to meet soaring energy demands and responsibly take charge of their power needs. The company’s fuel cell systems provide ultra-reliable, clean, and highly scalable onsite electricity for Fortune 500 customers worldwide, serving data centers, semiconductor manufacturing facilities, large utilities, commercial and industrial sectors, as well as mission-critical organizations in local communities, including hospitals, college campuses, and retailers. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Bloom Energy employs more than 2,000 people globally and manufactures its systems in the United States. For more information, visit BloomEnergy.com.